Biodefense Strategies to Reduce the Impact of Communicable Diseases in Developed Countries: The Need of New Policies Designed for Mobile and Vulnerable Populations

Abstract

Migration is a major global phenomenon which influences the health of individuals and populations; currently, estimates suggest that there are more than one billion migrants world-wide. Conditions surrounding modern migration may expose migrants to increased health risks and negative health outcomes: in fact increased movement of people across borders has a great influence on the incidence of communicable diseases, relevant to public health, in developed countries. In addition, migration is continually emphasizing public health responses to the threat of communicable diseases at the international level.